It’s the weekend and I always have a big smile on my face because weekend means 100% time for my mini family. Last week, we spent Saturday afternoon in Global City. We first went to Saint Alp’s Tea House where everyone enjoyed some drinks and snacks.

Here’s my blog post about the food at Saint Alp’s Tea House, Ashton loved everything especially the fried tofu and tapsilog I enjoyed sharing and trying the food with him and his dad.

After a satisfying snack we drove to Bonifacio High Street, we like making Ashton walk around the area to chase dogs and play with other kids. We also checked out Mothercare and Toys R’ Us in another building, it was our first time to go there and Ashton enjoyed trying out all the toys although we never bought any of it

And off we went to stroll around towards the new High Street Central where a real fun fountain is, again it’s our first time to be in this area as it’s fairly new and only a few shops are open. Ashton enjoyed watching other kids get wet. For dinner, we went to the newly opened Aria restaurant – famous for their pizzas from Boracay.

It was a perfect night, Az and I took turns taking Ashton outside when he gets bored waiting for food. The view was excellent and I love how the area is not too crowded unlike the other parts of high street. I’m sure soon, many more will flock to high street central. Beside Aria was a chocolate shop and if I wasn’t trying to get healthy, I would have taken everyone there for dessert. But, the night was perfect as is.

That’s until we discovered our car keys was missing x.x We all had to take the cab and someone returned to high street to pick up the car we left. I managed to keep my cool and I’m thankful for the weekend memories. Tomorrow, we shall plan a new adventure and enjoy another weekend to its fullest!

Now I know what every mother feels like upon seeing their child trying to play a musical instrument.

I like having musical instruments at home but if you don’t, you can always bring your child to a guitar center where other instruments are. Tune in with your child’s interest or simply enjoy the sight of them trying to make music! It looks real cute and adorable

Ashton also likes his Brainy Baby DVD, the volume that’s all about music. I never really understood the difference between tempo, rhythms, and harmony until I became a mommy and had to watch these dvds!

I recorded a few reminders but not the usual ones. Yesterday I observed (again) how much weight I am gaining and how un-lean I look, then I remembered the show I watched “10 days to a new you” by health guru Ellie Krieger. I am reminded to make healthier choices and eat less than I normally do. I enjoy desserts, sweets, and coffee too much – they make me eat even more. So I have to fight off my food obsession and start today! My Memo Tube says:

• Buy oatmeal for me and Ashton – eat this for breakfast for more fiber
• Buy sweet potatoes (kamote) – to be eaten in between meals as a healthy snack
• Buy more fruits – bananas, papaya, and mangoes
• Eat only when you’re hungry

Whew. I feel like myself when I was in college battling off extra pounds. But now I am far more equipped especially with this magical gadget on the fridge! Can you imagine how I can use this to record what I’ve eaten throughout the day? Or maybe that’s too much hehe.

You can get Memo Tube (Php 1,700) at Xsite Mobile in SM Megamall or visit Memo Tube on Facebook.

Good bye hospital!

It surely was challenging to keep my child occupied during his confinement, even when I thought I am well equipped with our experience last year. It’s a different story with him being a year older and so much more active. Crayons, scratch papers, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Disney Junior were my saving grace. If we were asked to stayed longer, I would have ordered more crafts supply to keep us company like a set of box cutters and scrap booking stuff. We rarely do arts at home so Ashton gets occupied with coloring and throwing folding paper.

I also had an internal debate with myself on the best place to put the IV. I now conclude it’s best to leave a toddler’s foot free so he can at least walk around and you can just hold the dextrose up high while following him. Forget the IV stand, it’s impossible to follow a child with it without the risk of pulling out the IV.

But more than anything else, I am really grateful my son is well and that we had the means to give him the best possible care

After 2 days, Ashton is friendlier with his nurses and doctors. Usually, he’d say goodbye to them as soon as they walk in the room – now he welcomes them with a smile plus flying kisses. I can feel how Ashton daydreams about our house, his other toys, and ordinary days outside the hospital. It’s so sad that I think when we get out of here, I’ll disinfect everything in the house and not let Ashton play with other kids (unless I know they’ve taken a bath and are hygienic). Sounds tough but I NEVER want to go through this again and find my son in a hospital bed.

Stressful times like this, I’d rather think of interior design rather than out of this world medical cases (so much for watching too many episodes of House and Grey’s Anatomy.Then I like to imagine my older sister, who has the same number of brain cells as I have, is here with me.

I hope my son gets well soon

Save on shopping during this Baby Fair with these tips:

1. Make sure you have your SM Advantage card or if you already have the Baby Company Mom Card – the better! You may just earn valuable points and bonus discounts when you swipe those plastic cards.

2. Come with a list! Never shop without one. Identify big and small ticket items you will need for 2012 and depending on your baby’s age. Do you need a crib, high chair, stroller? This is the perfect event to buy them discounted but with plenty of choices. If buying big items, make sure you hit the mall early before the place is filled with more shoppers. You’ll also get to decide properly without being too hurried.

3. Small ticket items include the most important diapers, if you have extra money – buy as many as you can to save heaps! Your brand may have special offers like a pack coming with two extra diapers or with free toys/books. Make sure that your baby won’t outgrow the diapers though, be careful and estimate properly.

4. Other necessities you should look out for: baby wipes (follow the same rule as #3), clothes & shoes for important events, baby cotton buds, baby shampoos and washes. I’m sure you can name more!

5. Bring your green bag and if possible, bring your car with you if you plan to make the most of this sale so you won’t have to worry about lugging all your discounted hauls that will save you enough money for your savings account.

6. Pay in cash as much as possible, credit card machines may just be too busy during this time and what if they suddenly go offline? you get the picture! Plus, using cash lets you budget more.

Are you getting excited now? I am! So see you all there mommies

Because I think a house is just a house and most people give up their lives being slaves to their own dwelling. Imagine how many square foot you clean each day instead of living! A tiny home will present more time for living, adventure, and even resources Plus, it gives you less opportunities to hoard stuff you don’t really need and cultivate generosity.

2012 is the first new year’s celebration I spent in a hotel, I always wanted to because I hate noise and pollution. Responsible mothers know that smoke from fireworks are dangerous for kids, especially babies. Last year, Ashton suffered from cough as soon as 2011 started.

Here are some handy tips I learned from my experience:

- Book a room in advance and as early as you can. You get better rates plus, a lot of families are increasingly keen to spend New Year in hotels.

- You can easily coordinate via email and ask for express check-in, provide the hotel with the info they need beforehand so you can skip filling up forms on the day of your stay.

- Check out the celebrations hosted by the hotel. Where we stayed at, there was a special New Year’s Eve buffet and a New Year’s countdown. Choose what’s best for you and your kids.

- Get the room wit a view of the city. So you can watch other people burn their money on fireworks

- Make the most of your accommodation package. Ours had a free New Year morning buffet so I urged everyone to wake up really early to enjoy breakfast.

Finally, enjoy a smoke-free night and day!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year, good luck to all of us in 2012 mommies!

Flying above the stage are acrobatic dancers with only draping cloths supporting them, no riding helmets or any protection whatsoever. There were plenty of times I felt like I was going to have a heart attack and my mom agrees. For the kids, I am sure they recorded how the performers jumped around the trampolines and how contortionists controlled their bodies. My 1 year old Ashton impersonated the performers by stepping on stuff and saying “tada!”.

Britney Spears and Lady Gaga were also impersonated and my mom bought a 500 peso disco stick for Ashton. It was great that my mom got to join us and she recalls very well how she brings my sister and I to the circus when we were small. My sister, the favorite pet (haha) had a picture like this but with Sesame Street’s Show poster. Mama insisted I take a shot just like so, this time – with her grandson Ashton.

We had a fantastic time at the circus and after, enjoyed a stress-free feast at Yakimix. All thanks to my sister Liza and Lloyd for taking care of the reservations. It felt just like how Christmas should be and I didn’t mind that it came a day later for me and my family.